1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the remote control of a plurality of devices, and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for remotely controlling a plurality of electronic devices, such as entertainment devices and the like.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Children in developed nations typically have unlimited access to electronic devices, e.g., television, gaming devices and consoles, personal computers, etc., that may not always contribute to their positive growth and development. In recent years, parents and guardians have addressed this problem without tools, as it is a “family” problem, which can only be controlled when parents are at home and present with their children. At those times, when a parent or guardian estimates that any of their children are spending too much time utilizing any of these devices, they must discipline the child. Since the amount of time on these devices is rarely measured, discipline occurs at inconsistent times, generally dependent on the mood of the parent, and generally without objective information to support the discipline. As a result, discipline without any data creates a strain on the parent-child relationship, often yielding poor results. Further, such discipline does not occur at all when children are at home without parents.
A secondary problem that exists is the fact that, when entertainment device use is unlimited, children value it less. When it is limited, for example if a child can only spend 10 hours per week watching television, television viewing will become a more valued, and therefore more planned, use of time. Therefore, instead of the practice of “flipping” through television channels, children will be more likely to select a planned schedule of certain television programs, which will result in a more valuable entertainment experience for the child.
The automatic control of a variety of multiple electronic devices and appliances is well known in the art. Further, many of the control devices are able to disable an electronic device or appliance based upon an action sequence. In addition, control devices have been developed where a parent or guardian may “lock out” certain channels or control viewing using a programmable controller. Typically, these control devices are used for security systems and localized control situations. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,127 to Bennett; U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,476 to Valiulis; U.S. Pat. No. 5,715,020 to Kuroiwa et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,917,256 to Broadbent, II. These systems lack the sophistication, however, of allowing a parent or guardian to monitor, control and budget the time of their children's usage of one or multiple devices.